The Blaine PTA and the Blaine Project Facilities Committee, chaired by Nancy Gilbert, held the final of three public meetings on Wednesday, March 28, in the Catharine Blaine School library to review the progress of the plans for the beautification and repairs to the grounds and the buildings of the facility.Designed by Seattle architect J. Lister Holmes-who also designed the Ida Culver House, the Seattle Goodwill Industries and the Seattle Public Schools administrative and service center-Blaine is considered a strong example of early to mid-20th century International Style Modernism.
Photographers are being invited to enter the 2007 Discovery Park Advisory Council-sponsored Calendar Photo Contest.All photographs for the contest must be taken at Discovery Park or Kiwanis Ravine, and the entry deadline is May 27.Winning photographs will be published in a 2008 calendar. All contest entries will be exhibited at a calendar contest celebration in August. The calendar will include a biographical statement by each photographer selected.
Mayor Greg Nickels and Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske are trying to drum up support for a new tactic in the way crime is dealt with in Seattle. Called "Neighborhood Policing," it is a "faster, stronger and smarter" approach to public safety, according to the mayor. There are three elements to the proposal, and each faces its own challenges. The primary goal is to add an additional 105 officers to the force between 2008 and 2012. That's in addition to the 49 new cops added to the force since 2005, Nickels said
Mayor Greg Nickels and Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske are trying to drum up support for a new tactic in the way crime is dealt with in Seattle. Called "Neighborhood Policing," it is a "faster, stronger and smarter" approach to public safety, according to the mayor. There are three elements to the proposal, and each faces its own challenges. The primary goal is to add an additional 105 officers to the force between 2008 and 2012. That's in addition to the 49 new cops added to the force since 2005, Nickels said.
Catharine Blaine School teacher Christine Helm receives the news from Ronald McDonald that she has been named Teacher of the Week by STAR 101.5-FM. Helm was nominated by her third-grade student Elizabeth Osborn, who received a free DVD of the documentary "March of the Penguins," a yo-yo and a T-shirt for her efforts
There's a lot of bad behavior on Seattle's Metro buses. There are a lot of folks mouthing off at beleaguered drivers; there are drivers who do not preserve order on their buses. There is racial tension aplenty, and lots of generational stuff, too.Most of the antisocial action takes place later at night, and a goodly percentage of acting out occurs between 2:30 and 4 in the afternoons when the "kids" are dominant as they exit their schools.But occasionally you can see some pretty cool folks doing some pretty cool things
Mention Easter season traditions and some people always think of chocolate bunnies or jelly beans. For me, the excitement of decorating, painting or dyeing Easter eggs as a little kid is always the memory that I think of first.I was in the grocery store the other day, and I looked at an egg-dyeing kit; I don't think they've changed one iota in 50 years. Each kit still contains: six tablets of color dye (red, blue, purple, orange, yellow and green); a wire egg holder that must be bent to properly dip the eggs; and a sheet of paper stickers that you immediately throw away. I suppose, though, that the price has tripled...
We're coming down the backstretch, heading into the last turn and the finish line is within sight. Okay, maybe that's an immoderate metaphor, but summer is within shouting distance.I look out the window as I write, and the March sun is sparkling in the sky, the scotch broom is in bloom, birds are singing and building nests, and the daffodils are spinning their little heads off looking at the sun. Oh, yeah-the dandelions are rearing their miserable little heads as well
I like it when readers of this column stop me on the street to talk. Usually. There are a few folks - easily separated into two camps, community "boosters" and the politically doctrinaire - who can be a bit annoying, but talking to "my" readers is usually something I enjoy.Which brings me to this morning's initial topic: the Alaskan Way Viaduct controversy.It's my opinion that for every genuine community issue - unsafe crosswalks, rising crime stats involving firearms, gentrification, homelessness - there is a false issue, one created by politicians and businessfolk. These issues always have one underlying feature: there's money to be made somewhere close by
Crime is down almost across the board on Capitol Hill, but the neighborhood is still trying to counter a lingering public impression that the area is rough and ready or even unsafe, according to a couple of longtime local business owners and an outgoing crime-prevention coordinator.The reality is that Capitol Hill is in better overall shape than the city as a whole, according to crime statistics for 2005 and 2006 (see Capitol Hill crime by the numbers).But there are statistics and statistics. Police do a wonderful job dealing with hard crimes like assaults and bank robberies, according to Sonja Richter, an East Precinct crime-prevention coordinator whose last day on the job was Friday, March 30. But she qualified the praise. "Quality-of-life issues are in the toilet,"she said of such problems as illegal parking and loud clubs.
If sheep could talk, I imagine we would hear some pretty interesting stories about why they follow the ram with the bell on any wild goose chase that worthy decides to undertake. Yet notwithstanding ewe muteness, those of you with an imagination can likely conjure up a few sheep responses."He's the biggest sheep I've ever seen. Who am I to step out of line?
Last Thursday and Friday, I attended two house parties on the Hill. While both were "casual dress-up" affairs, attended predominantly by college-educated Caucasians, they occurred under far different circumstances, revealing where Capitol Hill has been and where it might be going.The first event was a going-away affair, a sort of house-cooling. The host, a dapper yet flamboyant gent long active in the retro-cocktail and home-tiki-bar circuits, has decided to move from his small but exquisitely decorated apartment, rather than pay its new owners' exorbitantly hiked rents
Last Thursday and Friday, I attended two house parties on the Hill. While both were "casual dress-up" affairs, attended predominantly by college-educated Caucasians, they occurred under far different circumstances, revealing where Capitol Hill has been and where it might be going.The first event was a going-away affair, a sort of house-cooling. The host, a dapper yet flamboyant gent long active in the retro-cocktail and home-tiki-bar circuits, has decided to move from his small but exquisitely decorated apartment, rather than pay its new owners' exorbitantly hiked rents
You can find egg hunts and other fun spring stuff at South End community centers and parks. All the listed events are free and geared toward younger children and their families. Make sure to bring your baskets or sacks to carry your goodies in, and be sure to prepared for cold and rain if the event is taking place outside.
RAINIER BEACH - Rainier Beach residents reported to 911 between six and eight shots fired at approximately 10:14 p.m. on March 29. The first call to 911 arrived at approximately 10:16, by this reporter."I would like to report multiple gunshots fired in the neighborhood around Lake Washington Apartments," I reported to the 911 dispatcher.While I was still on the phone and in the process of grabbing my camera, voice recorder and heading out the door, I heard the start of the responding sirens."We are responding to that shooting," said the dispatcher who had just spoke with an officer.